Through unfamiliarity, my neighborhood is perceived as dangerous. Nothing could be further from the truth. Muscat, Oman’s capital, is one of the most peaceful cities in the world. Sandwiched between mountains and the sea, it is a series of towns interconnected by highways. Each town offers something new, yet continuity persists in the low white or sand-colored buildings interspersed with coffee shops and mosques.
Dangers come from the driving, which is crazy, and too fast. The lack of sidewalks can make sketching perilous, as cars whiz past just inches from your sketchbook. A further danger is the intense heat—summer temperatures are usually well over 100°F (38°C). This is when I visit the many Muscat museums and cafés, and my sketchbook gets filled with drawings of Arabian artifacts, people and cakes. Building interiors are sketched, but their beautiful carved exterior doorways are ignored until cooler months.
One of my favorite areas is Mutrah, with its fish market, souk, port and higgledy-piggledy balcony-covered Portuguese buildings. Running along the seafront is the Corniche, and I’ve sketched from end to end on numerous occasions due to the diversity of subject matter.
My neighborhood is great. I can draw by the sea or in the mountains; I can draw people wearing traditional dishdashas or abayas, or those in Western clothing; and I can choose between new large malls and individual stores like my local haberdashers. There are architectural splendors to sketch, like the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, and everyday buildings like my neighbor’s villa or the apartment block around the corner.
MUTRAH CORNICHE
Muscat
BURJ AL ARAB FROM MARINAT JUMAIRAH
United Arab Emirates
SULTAN QABOOS GRAND MOSQUE
Muscat
WATER TREATMENT PLANT
Muscat